Agidi or eko, also called cornmeal in English, is a popular dish in Nigeria made from corn or cornstarch. It is paired with different dishes and soups depending on the tribe.
Below is an easy recipe for Eko-Agidi.
Ingredients
- 8 cups of corn
- Water
- MoiMoi/Uma leaves
Tip:
It is best to use only dried corn for agidi or pap. Using newly harvested corn would prevent it from turning out right. Soak the corn in water for 24 hours.
ALSO READ: Recipe: How To Make Nigerian Corn Moi-Moi (Corn Pudding)
Preparation
1. Drain the water and take the corn to the grinding mill.
2. Grind the corn and rinse it.
3. Drape the chiffon cloth over a big bowl and tie it up. Scoop in some ground corn in handful portions and start rubbing it on the surface while adding water.
4. At some point, you will feel just the chaff; remove it and scoop in more ground corn.
5. At the point when your hand can feel the water in the bowl from the top of the chiffon cloth, stop adding water and just rinse the ground corn.
6. Once ground corn is mixed with enough water, the starch will escape into the bowl as you keep rubbing on it while the chaff is left on the surface.
7. Remove the chiffon cloth once you are done and allow the starch in the bowl to sit for up to 3 hours.
8. After three hours, the starch should have settled at the bottom of the bowl and water on top.
9. Pour out the clear water and stir what is left with a wooden turner. It should not be as thick as dissolved pap or custard, and it shouldn’t be too watery either.
10. Pour into a pot, set on the heat, and start stirring with a wooden turner.
11. Continue stirring until it looks like prepared pap but maybe a little thicker. This should take about 15 minutes before you get to this point. Pour into smaller plates or use a leaf to wrap.
12. Allow 1-3 hours for the agidi to cool and solidify.
Serve with boiled beans and tomato stew. You can also serve with moi moi or akara.
This video would also help.
